Sheep

Cattle

Male Rabbit Castration

Male rabbit castration
consists of surgically removing the testicles or testes of the animals while
it is under a general anaesthetic. The operation is irreversible and as a
result is a one-off procedure. It must be noted that, unlike most other
mammals, male rabbits are able to retract their testes into their abdomen.
The average age of castration is between four and five months though it can
be done later on in its life. Male rabbits or bucks are usually castrated in
order to prevent them from fathering kittens or to significantly reduce
aggressive and sexual behaviour. Most cases of rabbit castration are when
the owners have two or more male rabbits living in the same area with other
males or females.

At what age should a male rabbit be castrated?

The usual age that a buck is
castrated by a veterinary surgeon is between four and five months old. The
operation can be performed after this age although the majority of unwanted
behaviour, such as mounting and aggression, will not be reduced as
extensively as if the operation had been carried out beforehand. The
procedure requires a general anaesthetic and so this will be taken into
account when castrating elderly rabbits. Anaesthetising rabbits becomes more
difficult after three years of age especially if it is overweight. If this
is the case, the risks should be discussed with a veterinary surgeon.

The Operation

The buck is placed on its back
following its sedation with a general anaesthetic and monitored using a
respiratory monitor and a pulse oximeter. The surgical site is clipped and
this area is then scrubbed with a disinfectant soap by the veterinary nurses
in order to prevent infection. Particular care must be taken due to the
fragility of the rabbits’ skin which is more easily torn in comparison to
other animals such as cats and dogs.

The more simple method for
this operation involves an incision half an inch long above the scrotum with
a sharp scalpel. The following step involves the incision of the fibrous
layer with the intention to obtain access to the testes and the connecting
blood vessels. The testicle is pulled out of the incision and the vessels
clamped and sutured along with the entire structure, closing the inguinal
ring. This is to prevent a hernia. These are then cut very carefully as well
as the spermatic cord and the epididymis ligament, thus removing the
testicle. The remaining structures are replaced and the incision is closed
using dissolvable sutures in the subcutaneous layer and in the skin.

Post op care

For up to two days it is
normal for there to be blood in the urine though after this a call to the
vets is advisable. The veterinary practice should also be called if there
are any signs of redness, swelling, diarrhoea or if it appears sore. The
castrate must be kept in a clean environment and away from any unspayed
females for up to six weeks after the procedure. Food should be made
available as soon as the rabbit is awake so as not to disrupt the complex
digestive system of the rabbit.

Myths

Putting my rabbit under a general anaesthetic is too
dangerous

It is a known fact that
anaesthetising rabbits used to be very difficult. However, over recent years
this is no longer the case since the risks of rabbit castration are now
nearly as low as those for cats. Although there is a risk, due to unforeseen
complications or problems, these are very unlikely and uncommon in most
practices.

I should fatten my rabbit up so it survives the
operation

Overweight rabbits are much
more difficult to anaesthetise and so “fattening them up” increases any risk
rather than actually lowering it. Despite this, it is not safe if the rabbit
is severely underweight. The rabbit should not be starved before the
operation. It should be offered food and water up to the surgery and
straight after.

The rabbit will be upset if it is sexually deprived

This will most definitely not
occur. Without the production and secretion of testosterone the castrate
will have no desire to involve itself in sexual intercourse after four weeks
following the operation. This will actually reduce any stress since it will
not be as aggressive, wanting to fight or trying to escape and find a mate.

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